How to build your business in 2018

Care WorkersDecember 22, 2017

When you’re an independent worker, business never really shuts down. Which might be why you’re reading this during your downtime.

2018 could be the year you change someone’s life. You could change your own by deciding to work for yourself. And you’ll certainly change the life of a client you click with, who gets to choose you based on what’s important to them. Here’s how you can build your own business in 2018.

Build your profile

Take a look at your Mable profile and see what you can do to freshen it up. Do you have some new skills and interests to add? Make a note of when your police and Working with Children checks expire so you don’t lose potential revenue while your profile is inactive and you’re waiting for new checks. Check out our blog post, How to make a great impression online, for more tips.

Build your skills

Through the year, we’ve provided lots of resources in the Care Worker Resources section as well as the blog. There is discounted training out there for everything from First Aid to a Cert IV so why not spend some free time doing a course? You can even look at Coursera which offers thousands of Massive Open Online Courses for free.

Work the app and find more work

The new Mable app for workers allows you to run your business on the go. You can keep on top of timesheets and agreements, and communicate with clients through the inbox. You’ll also hear from clients posting a job to you and others. Now, you don’t need to worry about missing out as you can reply while you’re out and about.

Build your networks

First stop, look at our blog post, how to make a great impression. There will be potential clients out there who want to make the switch and start finding and hiring their own care and support workers. All they need is a nudge. Think of all the places you can find potential clients and print off some personalised cards and flyers. Mable can supply you with a digital copy of print-ready personalised business cards and flyers (at no charge). These are available to download straight from your profile!

Another tip is to find yourself a buddy who can cover you when you’re away or double-booked, so you can continue building continuity and trust with your clients. And you can share that buddy’s clients, too. You can find a Mable buddy by attending our care worker meetups and networking with other care workers, joining our closed Mable Care Worker Facebook group, or by finding other workers on the platform with similar qualifications. If you find a worker on the platform you would like to get in contact with, let us know and we can help facilitate this.

Build your reputation

Like other online marketplaces, clients can rate the service you’ve provided, and future clients may use this to decide whether to approach you or not. Check your Care Worker guide for tips to go above and beyond, including arriving early, maybe waiving the charge for your first hour, and generally throwing your heart into your work. Ask your clients to recommend you to their family and friends. Everybody prefers word of mouth marketing, especially when it comes to a relationship as important as the one between you and your clients.

Build on being you

Everyone travels a different path to the Mable platform. Every client is as individual as you and nothing sells like your uniqueness. Do you have an interest or hobby which you think is too “out there” to list on your profile? From pagan festivals to wheelchair burlesque, you’d be surprised by the requests we get. And in the New Year, we’ll be featuring some workers who offer that something different.

You can also stand out by offering care and support services which are unique to the time of year or specific to the area you live in. Around Christmas-time we see plenty of searches for workers keen to support clients through the season – with everything from social support and transport services, to gift shopping and carolling. Think about major events coming up during the year and what you can offer to increase your client’s participation in the community.

Policies

Follow

Important Notice: While we verify certain key information (police checks, key qualifications, references) during the on-boarding of each care worker, they represent other information about themselves to customers via their profiles that we do not independently verify. In exercising your choice of care worker and hiring them directly, we recommend that you check their credentials and original documents when you first meet them and provide ongoing supervision. We recommend that care workers take a file of their key documents with them to their first meeting.